Marine closet



WITNESS P. ALLAN.

, MARNECLOSET. APPLICATION mm. 1919. i 1,421362 "Patented July 4, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

P. ALLAN.

MARINE CLOSET.

APPLICATION EILED AUG.5', 191.9,.

Patented July 4, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INVENTOR B) a I V ATTORNE ull 10 n n n Q U I H /W///\ k 9,00 V WA w/N555 Z l w PERCY ALLAN, or MONTGLAIR, NEW JERSEY, nssieivon MARINECLOSET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 4t, 1922.

Application filed August 5, 1919. Serial No. 315,397.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERoY ALLAN, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of Montclair, in the State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Marine Closet-s, ofwhich the fol;

lowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to marine closets adapted generally for useunderany conditions where the refuse is to be discharged int-o the seabelow the water level, but particularly adapted for use in submarineswhere this discharge must be eifected at relatively great and varyingpressures. The invention has for its principal object to provide acloset for use as described which shall have associated therewithdevices for eX- pelling the refuse into the sea by means of an airpressure. -The further object of the invention is toprovide mechanism ofthis character which shall be comparatively simple in construction, easyof proper operation and have units which themselves are simple andcompact and readily accessible for adjustment or repalr.

One practical embodiment of the invention will be described inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which- Figure l is a viewin side elevation of the ordinary closet showing the relation of the airexpulsion thereto.

Figure 2 is a view in rear elevation of the closet shown in Figure 1,illustrating particularly the water tank and the discharge pipe from thewaste tank.

Figure 3 is a detail view on a somewhat larger scale in vertical sectionthrough the casmg for theair control valves.

Flgure 4 1s a view 111 vertical section showing in detail the controlvalve for the water tank.

Figure 5 is a View in side elevation of the valve shown in Figure 4:.

The bowl (1 is provided with an ordinary clapper valve 6 operable asthrough a lever c to permit the flushing of the bowl in the usualmanner. The stem 6' of the clapper b has secured thereto an arm 6 whichis pivotally connected to a weight 0?, also pivotally connected to anarm 0 ofthe operating lever 0. The valve arm 6 may also be connected toa vertically slidablerod d, the upper end of which is in operativerelation to a valve stem 6 carried with a slidable water valve 6disposed within a valve casing This valve casing communicates with the'bowl a to permit flushing of the latter through a port 7*" and alsocommunicates with a water tank 9 through a pipe connection g.- Y Theopposite side of the valve casing f has an outward connection 72,through which water flows into the water tank 9 from the sea. The valve6 is provided with bleed'ports e and has on its periphery a groove 6 forthe purpose of somewhat equalizing the pressure on the two sides of thevalve when operated, and to keep the piston from revolving. The valve 6is engaged by a spiral spring 2' to assist in its closing movement. r

So far as the description has proceeded it will be evident that when thehand lever c is operated to open the clapper valve Z2, the water valveewillbe moved up in the easing 7' toshut off direct communicationbetween the outward connection it and the water tank 9 and permit theflow of water from the tank 9 through the port f into the bowl forflushing; The contents of the bowl will thereupon be discharged into thewaste tank The clapper valve Z) with the hand lever a will be returnedautomatically to normal position under the action of the weight (Z andthe spring 2' which acts on the valve 6. -The certainty of closing willof course be accomplished by manual return of the hand lever c to itsextreme position. If, at any time, water collects in the bowl a to anexcessive height a portion thereof can be readily discharged past theclapper valve 6 by rocking the lever 0 just a trifle since there is alittle lost motion between the clapper b andthe water valve 6 sufficientto permit preliminary opening of the clapper valve before-the watervalve is unseated.

The waste tank 70 may be of such size as to hold a relativelygreatquantity of refuse so. that this refuse need be dischargedtherefrom only periodically. The improved devices for effecting such adischarge from the waste tank 70 reside in certain air expulsion meansnow to be described. In the illustrated embodiment the waste tank 70 isconnected through a pipe Z to a casing m in which are operativelydisposed two valves n, 0, one of which, 0, controls thecommunicationbetween an air supply pipe 0 and an air tank 0 the connection be tweenthe casing m and the air tank 0 being illustrated as a pipe 0 in whichis located a pressure gageo- The other valve n within the casing mcontrols communica tion between the tank 0 and the pipe Z leading to thewaste tank is. The valves or and 0 are normally seated by springs a, 0respectively andare. adapted to be engaged and unseate d against theaction of these springs by slidable plungers n 0" respectively supportedin the casing m in line with the respective valves. The plungers n 0 arenormally held out of engagement with the respective valves 1, 0, bymeansyof springs, one of which, 0 is shown inFlgure 3, in its relationto the plunger 0 The free ends of the plungers 41?, 0 are engaged bypivoted cam levers a 0 respectively, operatively engaged by fingers 79,.72, formed onthe lower end of an operating lever p pivoted as at 10 Theoperating lever 19 with the cam levers a 0 may be pivoted on a cam frame9 supported on the tubular housings r for the slidable plungers n 0 andthe co-operating spr1ngs.

In operation, when it is desired to expel the refuse from the waste tank76 the operating lever p is rocked to the right as viewed in Figure 1,so as to depress the plunger 0 through the co-operating finger p, thecam lever-0 thereby unseating the valve 0 and admitting air underpressure from any'available source to enter the tank o from the/supplypipe 0. When the pressure within the tank 0 has risen to the de- I siredpoint as indicated by the gage 0*, the

lever 79 willbe returned to its vertical position thereby permitting thevalve 0 to cut off further supply of air. It will be under-- stood=thatwhen the closet is used in a submarine the air pressure necessary forthe complete expulsion of the contents of the waste tank will varyaccording tothe depth and for this reason it may be desirable to haveprepared for the guidance of the user a table showingthe necessarypressure on the gage 0" for a given depth. By rocking the lever 0 to theleft, as viewed in Figure 1, the valve 12 will be unseated and air underthe pressure of the tank 0? will pass into the waste tank is and blowthe contents thereof through the rising main 70" into the sea. Int-herising main is may be locatedracheck valve 70 totake care of backpressures in a manner which will be evident.

Inorder to prevent anyair from remaining in the closed system in whichare included the waste tank 70 and the pipe Z, at annnbalancedpressurewhich might be lead or vented through the clapper valve 6 into the liowla, an auxiliary vent therefor is providedt c In the illustratedembodiment this vent is shown as a pipes connectedwith the valveca-singmand communicating with thepipe Z through a channel a formed intion thereof.

the valve a. This channel a when the valve or is seated, maintainscommunication between the pipe Z andthe vent s. VVhen the plunger aismoved into engagement with the end of the valve n for the purpose ofunseating it, this plunger closes the channel n so that air may notescape therethrough' so long as the valve remains un seated. The vent 8may lead to the tank 0 or may discharge at" any place desired.

It will be understood that many of the structural details described,while desirable in the interests of simplicity and accessible foradjusting'or removal, may have sub stituted therefor mechanicalequivalents which perform the same or a correspond ing function andpermit the practise of the invention in any of its essential respectswith, perhaps, equal success The appended claims set out the scope ofthe invention and cover all mechanical equivalents which mi ht be thus"substituted.

claim as my invention:

1. In a marine closet, a bowl, 'a waste tank. communicating therewith, awater tank'to receive water from the sea, a connection from the watertank to'the bowl,,athree-way piston valve insaid connection and'slidable to. control'the flow of water from the sea to the water tankand from the water tank "to the bowl-for flushing, a valve to controlthe discharge from the bowl to the waste tank, an

operating lever therefor and connections between the two valves forsimultaneous opera 2. In a marine closet, a bowl, a waste tankicommunicating therewith,a water tank to receive water from thesea', aconnection from the water tank to the bowl, a valve casing communicatingwith the sea, with the water tank and with the bowl, a three way pistonvalve in said casing and slidableto control saidthree connections, avalve to control the discharge from the bowl to the waste tank, anoperating lever therefor, a connection be-, v tween thetwo valves havingprovision for lost motion whereby the secondnamed valve is operatedprior to thefirstnamed valve and a weight operatively disposed in saidconnection.

3. In a marine closet, a bowl, a water tank, a valve casingcommunicating with the'bowl, the water tank and the sea, a piston valveslidable therein and having bleed ports toequalize the pressure uponoperation and a spring to seat said valve.

4;; In a marine closet,fa bowl, a waste tank to receive the contents ofthe bowl, an air tank connected with. the waste tank to blow thecontents into the sea, a valve-between the air tank and the source ofairsup'ply to ad mit" air to the air tank to a predetermined pressure, asecond valve operative independently of the first named valve to controlthe supply of air from the air tank to the waste tank, means cooperatingwith each of said valves to hold oneclosed when the other is opened andcommon means for operating said valves separately.

5. In a marine closet, a waste tank, an air tank and a connection fromthe air tank to the waste tank, a valve casing disposed in saidconnection, a connection from an air source to the valve casing, valvesmounted in the casing to control the supply of air from' the source tothe air tank and from the air tank to the waste tank, a single operatinglever movable to control said valves separately and common means foroperating both of said valves.

6. In a marine closet, a bowl, a waste tank communicating therewith,means to flush the contents of the bowl into the tank, an air tank incommunication with the waste tank, a valve to control the supply of airfrom the air tank to the waste tank, and an air vent from the waste tankto relieve the pressure therein automatically when the control valve isseated.

7 In a marine closet, a waste tank, an air tank, a pipe connectingtherebetween, a valve casing in said connection, a connection from thecasing to a source of air supply, valves to control the supply of airfrom the source to the air tank and from the air tank to the waste tank,plungers operatively disposed with relation to the respective valves,cams engaging the ends of said plungers and a single operating leverengaging the cams to permit control of the valves separately.

8. In a marine closet, a bowl, a waste tank communicating therewith,means to flush the contents of the bowl into the tank, an air tankcommunicating with the waste tank, a valve to control the supply of airto the waste tank and provided with a channel to vent the air from thewaste tank when the valve is seated and operating means for said valveadapted to close the channel when the valve is unseated.

This sggcification signed this 18th day of July, A. 1919.

PERCY ALLAN.

